Updated policy - Covid testing no longer required

[britinbrooklyn]

Just off the phone with RC. As of 11/2 you no longer need to provide a negative Covid test result, even when cruising over 10 nights. 
Obviously some countries do still require a negative test. 

[Jim the Titan]

6 hours ago, britinbrooklyn said:

Just off the phone with RC. As of 11/2 you no longer need to provide a negative Covid test result, even when cruising over 10 nights. 
Obviously some countries do still require a negative test. 

What country are you referring to? 

 

[Ryan79]

14 minutes ago, Jim the Titan said:

What country are you referring to? 

 

Columbia, Haiti and Honduras are specifically spelled out in the new policy

[smokeybandit]

 

[WAAAYTOOO]

As a kind of sidebar, I found it interesting that Celebrity has a larger list of testing-exempted ports of call.  This seems strange to me....either these countries are requiring testing or they aren't.  Why would ship policy be different ?  Hard for me to understand.  Maybe it's b/c Royal doesn't visit these "other" ports on any kind of regular basis....if ever.  But even that doesn't make any sense since Bermuda is still on Celebrity's "bad boy" list and Royal has removed Bermuda.  

 

[Kathleen]

10 hours ago, Ryan79 said:

Columbia, Haiti and Honduras are specifically spelled out in the new policy

But those countries only require testing for the unvaccinated. If you are vaccinated it appears you fall under the new blanket policy of no testing, even with itineraries with stops in those countries. 

[LinRon2]

On 11/4/2022 at 9:01 AM, Kathleen said:

But those countries only require testing for the unvaccinated. If you are vaccinated it appears you fall under the new blanket policy of no testing, even with itineraries with stops in those countries. 

Yea, that's the way we are 'interpreting' the way RCI words all this.  We ARE stopping in Columbia in December on the VIsion..and it's more than a 9 day cruise.  It just says 'unvaccinated' passengers need to test 3 days prior to boarding [ie for a stop in Columbia].  It does not state directly [positive affirmation] that since we ARE vaccinated, we DON"T have to test.  We have only to ASSUME this.  There is no statement about number of days anymore, thusly, again we must ASSUME that means we do not have to test if more than 9 days [on that point, no one has to test [unless stopping in Haiti, Honduras, or Columbia AND unvaccinated]].  It remains confusing because one has to ASSUME by what is NOT being said,  rather than specific wording that AFFIRMS each condition [that nullifies previous protocols].  Wording has been kind of atrocious on the protocols from the getgo, ha, especially when everybody and their brother [every nation had something different] had a protocol when travel started back up JULY 2021 that changed almost weekly.  

This is how we are INTERPRETING our 11 night cruise [again, more than 9 days, and stopping in COlumbia]:

Only 'unvaccinated' passengers need to test before boarding, for reason that COLUMBIA requires it.  The former 9 day maximum before people had to test no longer applies [no limitation on length of cruise since nothing is so stated anymore?].  Therefore, since we are vaccinated, we will NOT have to pre cruise test for our upcoming 11 night cruise on the Vision OS [neither issue applies to us by assumption].  

We only go into detail here because we are having to INTERPRET [assume] most of this and could be wrong in some way.  

[Kathleen]

13 hours ago, LinRon2 said:

Yea, that's the way we are 'interpreting' the way RCI words all this.  We ARE stopping in Columbia in December on the VIsion..and it's more than a 9 day cruise.  It just says 'unvaccinated' passengers need to test 3 days prior to boarding [ie for a stop in Columbia].  It does not state directly [positive affirmation] that since we ARE vaccinated, we DON"T have to test.  We have only to ASSUME this.  There is no statement about number of days anymore, thusly, again we must ASSUME that means we do not have to test if more than 9 days [on that point, no one has to test [unless stopping in Haiti, Honduras, or Columbia AND unvaccinated]].  It remains confusing because one has to ASSUME by what is NOT being said,  rather than specific wording that AFFIRMS each condition [that nullifies previous protocols].  Wording has been kind of atrocious on the protocols from the getgo, ha, especially when everybody and their brother [every nation had something different] had a protocol when travel started back up JULY 2021 that changed almost weekly.  

This is how we are INTERPRETING our 11 night cruise [again, more than 9 days, and stopping in COlumbia]:

Only 'unvaccinated' passengers need to test before boarding, for reason that COLUMBIA requires it.  The former 9 day maximum before people had to test no longer applies [no limitation on length of cruise since nothing is so stated anymore?].  Therefore, since we are vaccinated, we will NOT have to pre cruise test for our upcoming 11 night cruise on the Vision OS [neither issue applies to us by assumption].  

We only go into detail here because we are having to INTERPRET [assume] most of this and could be wrong in some way.  

Well said. I couldn't agree more. Policies should be written so that they leave no question for those who have to follow them.